


Training Wheels Protocol

by Trexi



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen, Spider-Man: Far From Home (Movie)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-01
Updated: 2019-11-01
Packaged: 2021-01-16 08:27:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,235
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21268031
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Trexi/pseuds/Trexi
Summary: Tony put a Training Wheels Protocol on EDITH.





	Training Wheels Protocol

“Activating Training Wheels Protocol,” EDITH says.

“Oh, c’mon,” I complain. “This has got to be revenge for skipping Karen’s tutorial.”

A holo-image of Tony Stark appears, and I swallow my complaint. No, that’s the giant lump of grief and guilt lodged in my throat.

“Hey, Pete. If you’re seeing this then we must’ve won, and I must be dead. The fact that you’re alive and in a position to receive this means my sacrifice was worth the cost. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. I’d really not have to figure out a way to come back from beyond the grave to make sure you know how much you’re worth to me. Hell, the only reason I’m even going on with this ridiculous idea is because I can’t stand a world that doesn’t have Peter Parker in it. Take that however you will. I’m only sorry I won’t be able to see you and Morgan grow up. But I trust that you’ll take care of each other. You’re family after all.

“Legally, you’re my heir, just so you know. Morgan is Pepper’s, so I figured it evens out. There’s a kid named Harley that’s after you as heir, but I’m not sure he’d be able to handle that kind of responsibility, so I put you first. No offence to him. In fact, when I asked him about it, he called me old and walked off, so I’m pretty sure he wouldn’t want to be my heir in the first place. Meanwhile, you’ve got this mega responsibility thing going for you that’ll keep you on track. If you two haven’t met, do the world a favour and hold off on in a bit. I’m not sure the world’s quite ready for the sheer chaos and mayhem you’d wreak together.

“God, I wish I could see that though.” Tony shakes his head. “Sorry. Promised myself I wasn’t going to get emotional over this. I’m kind of still hoping that we’ll both survive this, and I’ll be showing you this recording as something we can laugh over while working on some project in the lab together. You would not believe how hard it was to adjust to not having you call my favourite bands by the wrong names while stuck in some labour-intensive project. The look Pepper gave me when I told her that… Well, I’m pretty sure she was holding back tears, but I’m sure you’d laugh.”

I don’t. I try to keep my sniffs quiet and wipe away the tears without dislodging the glasses.

“Anyway, onto EDITH. She’s something of a masterpiece and definitely not something anyone responsible would hand a teenager, but, well, I’m me, and you are literally the most responsible teenager I’ve ever met, so I trust you with it. That said, please don’t try hacking your classmates’ phones or anything like that. EDITH is a seriously dangerous piece of technology and is likely to misinterpret your words. Think of it like your suit’s Instant Kill Mode. There’s something in the settings that’ll adjust that, but I kept it on auto-on because in an emergency I don’t want you losing precious seconds to reactivate the dangerous features.

“I’ll leave the particulars for EDITH to explain because we both know that I’d get distracted by all the cool features and completely forget something important, like how to turn the glasses on. That’s why I wrote that part down first. In short, EDITH can find out any information you need to know on the fly, which is perfect for when you’re out of the suit, but still in a dangerous situation. From the amount of times I’ve found myself in those circumstances, I can see you ending up in a similar position. Except in my case, everyone already knows that I’m a badass superhero. I understand your reasons for keeping your identity a secret, Pete, even kind of wish I did the same some days, so I hope EDITH will help you with that.

“I’m proud of you, kid. Always have been and always will be. You’re the future of the Avengers, no matter how far away that future may be. Even though I’m gone, there’ll always be those who are ready to support you. Consider my superhero support network yours. They all know how much you mean to me, and that I’d haunt them from beyond if they even thought about letting you done. Of course, they didn’t need to be threatened because anyone with eyes could see how much potential one Peter Parker has. Meeting you was the only good thing that came out of the Civil War with Capsicle. Frankly, I’m glad for it, and if I was given those exact same options, I’d do the same thing.”

Tony rubs at his eyes, looking tired beyond belief, but he still gives the camera a smile.

“That was way mushier than I intended, but I still don’t regret it. See what you’ve done to me, Pete? You’ve given me these weird paternal emotion things. Not sure I would’ve been ready for Morgan if you hadn’t though, so thanks, even though my eyes sweating is really inconvenient sometimes. Anyway, I’ve still got to record a message for the rest of the family, and then finish figuring out how to time travel, so I can bring you back. I know that if you were here, I wouldn’t need to do this, but I still wish you were here to help. I always solved complex problems easier with you there to ask how every part worked.”

Tony looks down, as if he’s reading off notes that he prepared ahead of time. I’m surprised he even remembered to follow them. He swears and looks back at the camera.

“Oh, and don’t try giving away EDITH to someone else, Peter. I get that it represents a lot, and that you’re probably not feeling ready to be a full-time Avenger. That’s okay. I wouldn’t want you to be one in the first place. Yes, I made you an Avenger on that ship, but that doesn’t mean I expect you to suddenly be the next Iron Man in the event of my death, or anything so stressful. You’re your own person, Pete. You don’t need to concentrate on anything but being the best Peter Parker that you can be first, and then the best Spider-Man that you can be second. You do that, and you’ll be just fine.

“Right, I think I’m done. Really hoping you never get to see this or that if you do, I’m right there alongside you. If I’m not, then I’m sorry for not being able to be there anymore. It’s been an honour, Peter Parker, even if I still think your taste in music is terrible.”

The holo-image disappears, and I shove the glasses off, so that I can furiously scrub at my eyes. Tears stream down my face. A loud sob escapes my mouth. Every one of my senses hyper focuses on the glasses, the last gift from another dead father figure. I’m sure everyone on the bus has noticed me loudly crying in the back, but I can’t bring myself to care. Tony’s gone, and he’s never coming back. It’s not fair. The missing five years, this stupid pressure for Spider-Man to take Iron Man’s place, and Tony sacrificing himself to stop Thanos. None of it is fair.

I just want Tony back.

**Author's Note:**

> This idea has been stuck in my head since I saw Far From Home in cinemas, and I finally had the time to finish writing it. I almost made myself cry while writing, though I'm not sure if that's just because I'm apparently still not over the events of the previous two MCU movies.


End file.
